à Moto Avec Jeff by Marie-Eve Juste

Nydia’s movements are slow, careful. She always seems very conscious of herself and whatever she is doing. She seems tender, almost fragile. Thus she is a complete contrast to Jeff, to his intense glare and his motorbike’s speed. Everything about him is confident and direct; whenever he enters in the picture everything seems to start moving. Avec Jeff, à Moto is the story of two young people who meet each other and who couldn’t be more different. They meet in their French language class and only share some precious moments together, preferably on Jeff’s motorcycle. The film distinguishes between the two characters and their ambivalent worlds: when Nydia is presented the picture is blurry, the camera movements are slow. But when Jeff appears, we are on the road, on his motorbike and the buildings and cars just seem to rush by.

For Nydia, Jeff becomes a means of escape; an escape from her routine, from her daily occupations. Suddenly her duties in her mother’s hairdresser store or the babysitting at home seem not so completely consuming anymore. That is because Jeff is there and he is excitement, change and color. For him she starts to use make-up, for him she dresses up and steps out in the night. When he watches her with his intense glare she doesn’t mind the other people laughing. And even though Nydia is afraid of his presence and his force she finally decides to just throw herself in this new encounter and Jeff’s velocity and thrill.

by Franziska Knupper